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The Maori Canoe

Poling or Punting

Poling or Punting

The propelling of canoes by means of a pole is a common Maori practice, and is resorted to in traversing rivers up-stream. Most of our rivers have swift currents; the majority of those traversable by canoes do not show a current moving at a uniform rate, but alternate rapids and reaches in which the current is slow. In poling a canoe up a rapid strenuous exertion is called for, as also a considerable amount of dexterity in the use of the punting-pole. Two methods of manipulating the pole are employed. In one the punter thrusts his pole down by the side of the canoe until it strikes the bottom, and then, standing still, bears heavily down on the pole: as the canoe forges ahead he allows the pole to pass through his hands until he is Fig. 135 Canoe-polers, Whanga-nui River. A photo taken of natives poling a canoe up a rapid of the Whanganui River has unfortunately been mislaid. Muir and Moodie, photo page 270 grasping its extreme end: he then recovers it, pulling it in and making a fresh thrust. In the other method he makes his thrust near the bow of the canoe, and, as the craft moves ahead, he walks toward the stern, on reaching which he hauls in his pole and goes forward to make another thrust. When a single individual is poling he uses his implement both sides of the canoe, as a single paddler does. In poling against a swift current concerted action is necessary, and it is a most interesting sight to witness expert punters forcing a big canoe up a rapid. The natives of the Whanga-nui valley are reckoned the most expert hands at punting. This river has ever been their principal highway, and their villages are situated on its banks, from which rise steeply rugged and broken hill formations.

The following experience by Wakefield in the "forties" of last century is of interest: "On reaching the foot of the rapid the crew abandon the paddles, stand up in the canoe, and handle long poles made of manuka, toatoa, or other hardwood, and charred at the lower end. They now push against the bed of the river in perfect unison, as though by clockwork. The helmsman also steers with a pole, balancing himself in the high-peaked stern, and guiding the canoe by poling under or away from it. The silence is only inter-rupted by the grating of the poles against the sides of the canoe, and the foaming of the water, or by occasional brief word of direction from the man in the bow 'Ki uta' (Towards shore'), or 'Ki waho' ('Outwards'). The canoes follow each other in single file, with scarcely two feet between the stern of one and the bow of the next: and though a collision would in most cases render the cap-sizing of both inevitable, such is the skill of the natives that an accident rarely occurs in going up the rapids. The natives of Whanga-nui have a known reputation for this peculiar exercise: and men of other tribes poling on the river are much laughed at for their awkwardness, and the numerous duckings they get in consequence. A crew of experienced Whanga-nui natives poling up a strong rapid is a very pretty sight. As it is hard work, they generally strip, leaving only a shirt or mat around the waist, and the exercise throws them into the most graceful attitudes and develops their muscular energy. A by-word alludes to the known practice in poling, while it mimics the uncouth dialect of this tribe. After I became, as it were, identified with them, it was often shouted after me by the Kapiti and Ngati-Awa natives—'Ira! Ira! E weke! E toko ki Tuhud' ('Hallo! old man! Pole away inland to Tuhua')."

The Whanga-nui natives do not keep thrusting on the pole and keep stepping towards the stern of the canoe—that is, letting the canoe pass forward under them—but remain standing in the same page 271 place and frequently shift the pole. The pole is termed toko and panoho.

Poles of ramarama (Myrtus bullata) were highly prized by canoe-men of the Whanga-nui River, on account of their toughness. Poles of kopuka (Leptospermum scoparium) were also, and more commonly, used. Stronger and heavier poles were used by the polers at the Fig. 136 The To'o Hue of Tahiti. A peculiar form of punting-pole used in deep water. Sketch by Miss E. Richardson bow of a canoe than were employed by those at the stern. Lighter poles were used by women. In ascending swift rapids, two or three men sometimes manipulated each pole.

In describing a trip up the Rangi-tikei River in a canoe, made by him in 1839, Missionary Williams says: "Dec. 9: Proceeded up the river in canoes, the current so extremely strong that the natives were obliged to pole the canoe, requiring the greatest care that our bark should not be upset. So irregular was the surface of the current that at times it ran more than a foot higher than our canoe. I kept my eye upon our boatmen, who appeared perfectly composed, and aware of what they are about; I therefore kept myself perfectly quiet."

The word toko (a pole) is also used as a verb—to punt or pole with a toko. It has the same double meaning in the Samoan, Tahitian, Tongan, and Mangareva dialects. To allow a canoe to drift with the river-current is expressed by the word tuku, as in the expression "He waka tuku ki tai."

A Tahiti-French half-caste named Hiro Coppeurath has given me an interesting item regarding the poling or punting of canoes in deep water as formerly prac-tised by the natives of Tahiti. This method was followed in propelling double canoes, and is known as to'o hue (Maori, toko hue), or gourd-pole. The paddlers were often assisted by men stationed on the elevated platform, each of whom manipulated a pole, on the bottom end of which was secured page 272a gourd (hue). These poles, with attached gourds, were used as in ordinary punting, being thrust downward, the gourd itself providing the resistance. These gourds were thrust downward into the water by the operators, acting in unison, much as persons do when poling a canoe up a stream. By means of the pressure thus produced two results were attained—the canoe was uplifted bodily so as to be not so deep-sunk in the water, and it could also be forced ahead. These toko hue called for skilful manipulation and a considerable amount of muscular strength. Their use much increased the speed of the vessel. Again, when such a canoe was swamped, the manipulators of the toko hue all forced their implements down vertically into the water, and so contrived to lift the vessel so that the gunwale was above water, whereupon the crew set to work at bailing out the water.

When coasting these poles were reversed, and the other ends thereof used as ordinary poles, as we see among the Maori. The end of the pole was inserted in the gourd, and the latter rendered watertight in some way.

A further communication from Hiro furnishes the following notes: The to'o hue called for very careful work in its construction, otherwise the fragile gourd would be broken. In order to avoid such a breakage by the thrust of the pole, a kind of netted bag was inserted in the gourd and attached thereto. Into this the end of the pole was inserted, and then some kind of vegetable gum was used as packing, which, when it became set, gripped the pole-end and prevented any looseness or movement of the gourd, as also closing the aperture so that no water could enter the gourd. The latter was also covered with a netted fabric that preserved it from fracture if knocked against any timber, as the side of a canoe.

It is said that these peculiar implements were sometimes employed at sea as in rough weather, whereby to render a canoe more buoyant. A number of them would be thrust deeply into the water in a vertical position, and the upper ends of the shaft lashed firmly to the canoe. This is said to have had the effect of lifting a double canoe to an appreciable extent.

It is an old jest among our Maori folk that when drifting down a river one can get plenty of companions, but it is different when a trip entails strenuous poling up-stream against a strong current. Hence the old saying, "He waka tuku ki tai, tururu ana nga tangata o runga; he waka toko, tau ana te kohakoha."

Probably no people surpass, or even equal, the river Dyaks of Borneo as canoe-polers up rough rivers. To such men our Whanga-nui rapids would be very ordinary obstacles.

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